by Mudgeon

Editor’s Warning: The following information contains not only information about Macintosh industry news and information, but also information about MS-DOS, 3D0, Genesis, etc. Readers who get squeamish when reading about other non-Mac platforms should skip this section.

* COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT NEWS *

DEVELOPER ACQ PRODUCES 1ST TITLE
One of the new powerhouses in electronic entertainment is 7th Level. The company has announced G-NOME, an action/adventure game that runs under Windows 95(R). Featuring 3D interactivity with head-to-head action and fluid animation for critters, vehicles and characters, this title was originally designed by Distant Thunder for DOS systems. 7th Level acquired the company. This release takes advantage of DirectDraw(TM), DirectPlay(TM), DirectSound(TM) and Direct3D(TM) within the Windows 95 OS. The offering includes more than 15,000 animation cells that enables comic book style character to be smoothly animated and blended into 3D backgrounds. You’ll find yourself seamlessly propelled from a cinematic sequence into an action sequence with intricate AI involvement. The game will be playable for as many as eight players. Watch for G-NOME to release during 2Q of ‘96. 

NEW ARCADE OFFERING
Also from 7th Level is SharkBoy, which is expected to ship during Q2 in ‘96 as well. This will offer side scrolling and action in one title with its own storyline and distinct character development. Also running under Windows 95, this title will offer more than 8,000 cels of film-quality animation, plus recorded dialog and multiple save games. There are (at least) 15 powerups and mutations. SharkBoy may select to fight on land or under water. You’ll have to locate special abilities and secret rooms if you want to help SharkBoy win. For more info on 7th level products, net your way to http://www.7thlevel.com! 

FRPG TREAT ENROUTE
One of the biggest FRPG’s last year was Betrayal at Krondor from [the now Sierra-absorbed] Dynamix. Based on the super fantasy novels by Raymond E. Feist, the rights were purchased by 7th Level, who are producing the CD-ROM sequel, Return to Krondor. The storytelling elements have all been preserved and this exciting title will run under Windows 95. You are challenged to unravel a deadly plot which will require you to undertake a quest to the very bottom of the Bitter Sea. You’ll also find yourself going to the Gray Towers as well as into the future 500 years. You’ll control your group of characters as you navigate through 3D environments and engage in combat with villains, thugs and monsters to gather and use magic artifacts to recover the Tear of the Gods. This powerful religious artifact is the centerpiece to the story. You’ll control camera angles for tactical advantages, ship-to-ship ocean battles and auto-mapping. There’s an original soundtrack with more than 50 music themes by Hollywood composers. There are nine chapters of action and 50 speaking characters, more than 75 spells, weapons and magic effects.

HOLY GRAIL QUEST
Time again for more of your time to be totally and understandably wasted! 7th Level is going to be bringing to CD-ROM, thanks to Monty Python, The Quest for the Holy Grail. King Arthur and his hard band of knights are going to run amok on your computer as they grope and stumble through ancient English history as they quest for the Holy Grail. Your favorite moments from the popular film are all included as well as never-before-heard outakes, harrowing puzzles and other enchanting activities. This game also features Terry Gilliam’s animation from the original film plus new illustrations and animation. You’ll have traditional arcade games with action adventure as you rediscover the Three Headed Knight, Tim the Enchanter, Patsy the Servant and the talented Bridgekeeper of Death. Watch for this title to ship in the summer of ‘96. Other offerings coming from 7th Level include Arcade America(TM) and The Universe According to Virgil(TM).

ZORK ACCLIMATED FOR APPLE
A new agreement between Activision and Apple Computer will result in the former’s CD-ROM smash hit, Return to Zork, becoming available for the latter’s Performa 6230 CD systems that come complete with MPEG Media System. The title has already won a number of top-flight awards, including PC entertainment’s CD-ROM Game of the Year prize.

APPLE INTO COMPATIBILITY
OK, OK, the fact that Windows 95, Windows 3.1 and DOS-based games continue to proliferate the market and Macintosh gamers decry the lack of titles for their OS _COULD_ be one reason that Apple Computer has decided to inform us, just a wee bit, about new PC compatibility cards being developed. For use, eventually, with the PCI-based Power Macintosh units, these cards feature both Pentium and Cyrix 586 processors and could well prove a boon to Macintosh sales. And gamers’ll be none too disappointed, either! 

CLASSIC COMEDY SCREEN SAVER ENROUTE
There’s a new CD-ROM title from Questar, Inc., which is going to be brought to consumers by Berkeley Systems, thanks to an exclusive distribution agreement between these two companies. Called Comedy Classics, this is screen entertainment of the highest order, featuring Abbott & Costello, The Marx Brothers, and The Three Stooges. There’s almost an hour of film clips, photos and screen savers featuring these legends of comedy plus Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. You can customize your Windows 95 interface by adding screen savers, wallpaper, classic one liners and animated cursors, plus classic character sketches can be accessed as well. You’ll find Abbott & Costello’s famous Who’s On First skit, play live footage from their classic performances, and look up filmographies and biographies. Best of all, the price for this rich title is expected to be around $19.95.

ALLIANCE TO BETTER DEV CONFERENCE
A new strategic alliance between the Computer Game Developers’ Association and Miller Freeman, Inc., will lead to a far more professional Computer Game Developers’ Conference. In the past, this conference has been the leading event for those who develop entertainment and edutainment titles. The conference was sold by the CGDA to Miller Freeman who will now manage and produce the event. Many of the conference features will continue, including the Spotlight Awards. And you can bet your bottom buck that the association will be extremely good for Miller Freeman’s Game Developer Magazine as well. The conference now becomes part of the Hi-Tech Division within Miller Freeman.

NEW FOCUS FOR MAMMOTH GAME PUBLISHER
Having built core cart technologies for video game systems, Electronic Arts has decided that the time is now to concentrate on CD-ROM game development, with the focus to be on Windows 95. The company plans to release nearly 20 titles during 1996 for Windows 95, while other CD-ROM titles for the Macintosh, PC, Saturn and PlayStation will be responsible for nearly 50 percent of the company’s revenues. In 1997, Electronic Arts believes CD-ROM will be responsible for somewhere between 65 and 75 percent of the company’s revenues. With an estimated 16 to 18 months of development time required, and a cost of around $1 million for each title, the transition will take approximately one year to complete. The great features about moving to CD-ROM titles are the fact that the required licensing fee for carts goes bye-bye and higher margins are realized than is currently the case for carts.

BIG BLUE GAMING
IBM and computer games and rock ‘n roll-who’d of ever thought such a combo would become reality? Now it has with Quest for Fame, a new CD ROM title that features Aerosmith. You are cast in the role of an aspiring guitar hero whose going to try to make it to the top. As your skill increases, so do the opportunities to perform. A Virtual Pick that’s packed-in with the game allows you turn your PC into the ultimate air guitar. Then, you can jam with some of American’s greatest bands. You simply strum your Virtual Pick against any surface and this unique game controller picks up the resistance. Through internal switching technology, the signal is translated into guitar sounds that are then played back through the computer. You focus on matching guitar rhythms in a variety of musical situations, from that of a novice axeman practicing alone to the ultimate, on-stage performance in front of thousands of screaming fans. This title includes six of Aerosmith’s multimillion selling hits, three blues grooves, plus several original tracks and a number of challenging riffs. See how well you can do jamming with the best as you try to become the best rocker. 

SAVVY MOVE BY GAME-FOCUSED IBM
Not only is IBM involved in entertainment titles in a big way, but the company has decided to enrich their title offerings by signing a development agreement with Powerhouse Entertainment. This agreement will have PowerHouse working on a new concept called Movieline that’ll enable gamers to actually direct game play. Two titles that’ll first see the light of day include The Jungle Book and Pinocchio. The controller technology will put you right in the middle of the actual sets and locations of Hollywood feature films where you’ll be able to interact directly with storylines, characters and the actors themselves. Included in the game will be IBM’s proprietary speech recog engine,

GETTING RELIGION
The number of companies that realize CD-ROM product is the only way to go certainly runs to the majority, especially as far as U.S.-based publishers are concerned. Now, JVC (Victor Company of Japan) has decided the time is ripe for them to also join the CD-ROM product development faith. They plan to release in Janaury a flight sim that’ll run on Macintosh CD-ROM systems. The second title is due in March and this is going to be a sim that’ll have players manipulating their genes.

CHILDREN’S GAME NEEDS NO MOUSE
Coming from Maxis is a computer adventure for children entitled Marty and The Trouble With Cheese. A microphone and the child’s voice are all that drives the storyline, with the onscreen characters responding to sound and speech. Children’ll meet new friends, such as a mimicking crow who comically repeats their every word, laugh and giggle. Preschoolders will be able to easily follow the program, thanks to the main character, lovable Marty. This title’ll be released as a hybrid CD-ROM, which means it’ll run on Macintosh and Windows 3.1 systems.

FLIGHT & COMBAT SIM FOR 3DO’ers
A new title from Panasonic Interactive-Media Company is entitled Carrier: Fortress at Sea. This is a true infotainment title and you’ll find yourself below and above the decks of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson. You’ll experience, firsthand, the workings of this enormous warship with four modules to help you explore your surroundings. A Briefings module will give you a history of carriers, from the battles they fought and the aircraft and crews aboard these vessles. The Captain’s Pass module enables you to move throughout the entire ship, while the DataBank module connects you to the carrier itself and its weaponry and other special facets of the ship. The fourth module is the Challenge module where you’ll be at the controls of an F-14 Tomcat fighter.

SEGA STARTS SUBSIDIARY
With an eye on PC-based and Internet-based games, Sega Enterprises and CSK Corporation have combined forces to create SEGA SOFT. This company will also develop titles for the Saturn and other Sega console systems. Titles will include edutainment and entertainment, home business, interactive, and reference offerings. The current president and CEO of Sega of America, Tom Kalinske, will be vice-chairman and co-CEO of the new company. Operations will commence this December with around 250 on staff, with the company expected to double in size over the next couple of years.

ENGLAND’S THRONE CAN BE YOURS
A new, medieval adventure has debuted from Sierra On-Line. Entitled Conqueror A.D. 1086, this is a strat that includes arcade and action sequences as you battle knights and dragons. Sometimes you’re in tournament events, other time engaged in tactical warfare, and even hand to-hand-combat. Developed by Software Sorcery, this title offers 3D animated characters in a first-person, point-of-view. You must try to become King of England before you reach the age of 30, and this means you must not only conquer lands, but manage them efficiently and win over subjects. You’re also “scored” on how you handled moral dilemmas. Conqueror A.D. 1086 is for Windows 95 CD-ROM machines. 

CLANCY INTO GAMING
Take those best-sellers Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games by novelist Tom Clancy, and then create CD-ROM games based on those titles, and you have a digital happening. The interactive division of Simon & Schuster is planning to do just that, with new titles expect to be called Tom Clancy’s First Contact: Derelict, a space adventure game. There will also be a nuclear sub sim in the works, as well. Clancy is rumored to be receiving half of all revenues generated by sales of these puppies. 

DIGITAL DITKA
A new CD-ROM sports title, Quarterback Attack with Mike Ditka, will debut November 18th. from Digital Pictures for Macintosh, PC (Windows 95 and DOS), 3DO and Sega Saturn CD-ROM machines. This is claimed to be the first quarterback sim as you don’t merely control the quarterback-you become the quarterback-as the entire game is “shot” from the quarterback’s point-of-view. You experience exactly what the quarterback experiences and your passing accuracy and timing and skill in reading defenses, as well as calling audibles to offset your opponent’s rushes, can lead to disaster or success. You can dodge rushers in the pocket, scramble, and much more. You’ve even got Mike Ditka at your side to help with game play strategies-if you screw up, Ditka’ll let you know! there are multiple skill levels and play variables such as game length and defense sets. Photo-realistic graphics of real players are employed and this game could actually become a grand tool for training rookie quarterbacks. The company will donate a copy of this title to football coaches of any college or pro football team who requests such on team letterhead faxed to 415 286-8811.

BIG BUCKS BUYS MUCH
$80 million is the rumored amount Electronic Arts has paid to allegedly acquire United Kingdom video game developer Probe. The latter folk were responsible for the Genesis version of Mortal Kombat, Primal for the 32X and good ol’ Aliens.

GILLIAM GUFFAWS TO COME
A new CD-ROM game, one packed with hilarity, is going to be created by Enteractive, Inc. What makes this special is that Terry Gilliam, world renowned writer, director and animator, has agreed to produce this title. An original member of the famed Monty Python comedy troupe, and director of award-winning files such as The Fisher King, Brazil, Time Bandits and others, Gilliam has developed a worldwide rep for animation talents. The title of this new CD-ROM will be Animations of Mortality, which is an adventure into the mind of a successful animator. Expect Pythonesque mazes and off-beat worlds, with the title to be available in the fall of next year.
   
Enteractive also has other key titles in the works, including an agreement with Richie Sambora (lead guitarist for Bon Jovi) to develop a CD-ROM for next year plus The Alchemist, based on the card set and book of the same name by New Age writer Monte Farber and artist Amy Zerner.

AN ENTERTAINING BIG BLUE
Not really known for their game acumen, IBM plans on changing the public perception of their company as they have now intro’d four new CD-ROM games. These games offer 3D graphics, full digitized sounds and two player modem involvement.
   
Emergency Room givers you all of the tests and tools necessary to treat everything from cuts and bruises to life-threatening ailments. You start the game as a medical student and work your way up to chief of staff treating multiple injuries. You’ll actually see close-up 3D video and pics of the body and the injuries, an all-star cast of Hollywood actors (including Perry King of Riptide and Melrose Place fame), specialists who are on-call for consultation and libraries of nutritional advice, medical history and anatomy charts.
   
Then there’s Power: The Game which requires you to dominate the world to win. You do this by capturing flags, which requires strategic skills. You can compete against as many as three opponents via modem, or against three computer-controlled opponents. You must position your infantry, tanks, ships and air force into territory controlled by your enemies, but if your flag is captured, you have to surrender everything in that territory. This is the digital version of the popular board game.
   
Rapid Assault is a hovercraft you must pilot through eight combat environments with more than 20 missions, each one more difficult and more dangerous than the previous one. You have four different weapons to use. The game also offers digitized sound effects and music, real-time texture mapped graphics and a first-person perspective.
   
Then there’s Triple Threat: An Arcade Adventure, that packs three games into one CD-ROM: Black Rein (fly a futuristic T60 hovertank across hostile terrain to fight numerous enemy ships); F-18 No Fly Zone (you must neutralize enemy aircraft violating forbidden air space); and Quatra Command (the lives of millions depend upon your ability to navigate enemy defenses and eliminate their outposts and military systems in the Quatra Sector).

AWARD-WINNING TITLE TO ARRIVE SOON
Two People’s Choice Awards at the 1995 Macromedia International User Conference held in San Francisco could be but the start of a tidal wave of acclaim for Inscape’s new CD-ROM title, The Resident’s Bad Day on the Midway. Set to debut on November 21st, this is the first time in that conference’s history that one title has won two awards. This will be a disc that runs on both Macs and Windows machines and is the sequel to the award-winner The Residents’ Freak Show. The cult artists The Residents, acclaimed illustrator and animator Jim Ludtke, plus executive producer Michael Nash of Inscape joined forces once again to produce this new offering which features unforgettable characters who are involved in a bizarre murder mystery within a surrealistic 3D carnival. With an original soundtrack by The Residents, you’re drawn into the mystery and will become totally immersed in the carnival’s amazing attractions and superbly crafted subplots. You must continuously evade death and taxes as you take on various Midway inhabitants’ points-of-view as you attempt to piece the puzzles together. There are multiple endings for endless game play variations.

POE PUZZLES
Already on the street is Inscape’s The Dark Eye. Not only was the title’s audio and soundtrack design managed by Thomas Dolby and his company, Headscape, but the voice of one of the principal characters is none other than William S. Burroughs. Another hybrid disc, one that is playable on both Macintosh and Windows platforms, you’ll find yourself in the nightmare world created from the imagination of Edgar Allan Poe. There are 2D and 3D environments that use unique stop-frame animation created by Doug Beswick, the renowned animator for Beetlejuice, Aliens, and The Addams Family. You have to solve a complex narrative puzzle by selecting which characters you should become as you travel through a number of Poe’s stories. These include the likes of The Cask of Amontillado, Berenice, and The Tell-Tale Heart. All were adapted by playwright Russell Lees and bundled together in his horror tale, Malevolence. There are hidden Poe tales in the offering as well.

ON-BOARD AT INTERPLAY
There’s a new director of U.S. sales for Interplay. It’s Mindy Phillips, who joins the interactive entertainment company from her previous position as vice president of sales at MGM/UA Home Entertainment. We wish Middy well in her new venture.

LIMITED EDITION HITS THE SHELVES
Interplay (714-553-6655) has announced they have released STAR TREK(TM): Judgment Rites CD-ROM Limited Collector’s Edition. This title includes a new multimedia version of the original adventure game, which includes the voices of the original cast, a special collectors disk featuring interviews with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and Leonard Nimoy, a VHS copy of the most popular TV episode “City on the Edge of Forever,”: and one of eight original STAR TREK: Judgment Rites episode pins produced exclusively for this collection. All of the classic Judgment Rites episodic adventures have been newly programmed with cinematic scenes and the original Star Trek’s cast voices. This title runs on any 486SX 25Mhz or better machine and at least 4MB of RAM.

LUCASARTS HOLIDAY SEASON TITLES IMPRESSIVE
LucasArts Entertainment Company (415-472-3400) is preparing a number of new titles for holiday season purchase. These titles include Rebel Assault(TM) II for PC and Macintosh CD-ROM. The original Rebel Assault sold nearly two million copies worldwide, and this title improves upon its predecessor technically and creatively. With realistic 3D Star Wars worlds, extensive live action and a John Williams score, this offering is an interactive entertainment with production values that rivals a feature film. This new story opens near the Dreighton Nebula where Rookie One (your alter ego) is investigating disappearances of Rebel spacecraft near this galactic equivalent to the Bermuda Triangle. You learn that the Empire is exploiting the area’s history of mysterious disappearances to create a new weapon. To uncover and foil this evil plot, you must pilot numerous Star Wars craft, including an X-wing fighter, a speeder bike and a Millennium Falcon(TM) type freighter, and battle an onslaught of Imperial legions.
   
The next highly anticipated title is The Dig(TM) which is the result of collaboration from Steven Spielberg, Industrial Light & Magic, and dialogue from award-winning science fiction writer Orson Scott Card. This deep space adventure about a team of three space explorers who have become stranded on an alien planet finds characters and their interactions complex and dynamic. Through exploration and experimentation, you’ll learn about the species that formerly inhabited this planet, a species that discovered immortality and now exists in a ghost-like state. They desperately want something from their captive trio and it’s a high price to pay, but it may be the only way back to Earth.
   
X-Wing(TM) Collector’s CD-ROM combines the best-selling PC game of 1993, X-Wing, and its two Tours of Duty disks, Imperial Pursuit(TM) and B-Wing(TM), are enhanced and join together for the first time on this CD ROM. This offering plays off the CD and includes 122 missions, graphic upgrades, sound enhancements and over 1,000 lines of studio-recorded mission briefings. You pilot X-wings, A-wings and B-wings, attacking and defending various ships through a series of dangerous battles.
   
Tie Fighter(TM) Collector’s CD-ROM is the sequel to X-Wing Collectors CD-ROM and includes enhanced version of the original disk-based game, TIE Fighter, plus its first add-on campaign, Defender of the Empire, as well as a challenging new campaign. Improvements include hi-res graphics, enhanced sound and more than 5,000 lines of studio-recorded dialog. This charges you to restore and enforce Imperial rule and defeat Rebel insurgence. New pilots refine their skills in training and historical combat before engaging in battle.
   
Other titles being remarketed for this season include Dark Forces(TM) (a 3D, first-person perspective action game), Full Throttle(TM), a graphic adventure game with some of the most superb graphics ever seen in such an offering, The LucasArts Archives(TM) Vol. 1, which is a compilation of games from LucasArts on six CD-ROMs (Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis(TM), Day of the Tentacle(TM), Sam & Max Hit the Road(R), Rebel Assault Special Edition, Star Wars Screen Entertainment(TM) and demos of Dark Forces, Full Throttle and The Dig.

NEW LUCASART TITLES SET FOR 1996
Afterlife(TM) and other titles are new titles LucasArts Entertainment expects to launch in the first half of 1996. Afterlife challenges you to manage the “Great Beyond.” You must accommodate the needs of wandering souls, according to the beliefs of each soul. If souls are kept happy, construction proceeds with few complications. However, if the needs of your souls are not met in the hereafter, chaos ensures and everything goes to . . .well, you know where. This title will be for Windows CD-ROM.
   
Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures is a Windows-based story title with a game-generation engine capable of creating millions of varied, short game scenarios. Each mini-game presents an adventure worthy of Indiana Jones and is designed to be won in under one hour. It’s set in Mexico during the 1930s and you must complete one of 15 different quests ranging from rescuing a wise shaman to recovering mystical Indian treasures to locating a sacred temple. This offering will ship on a single floppy disk for Windows.

DUNGEON ADVENTURE SHIPS FOR MAC
MacPlay (714-553-3521) has now released Dungeon Master(TM) II: The Legend of Skullkeep(TM) for Macintosh CD-ROM platforms. The original Dungeon Master was one of the best-selling entertainment titles of all time. In this title, creatures and characters think, act and react according to your game interactions. An array of visual effects in hand-rendered, 256-color graphics of lightning, rain and other inclement weather lend authenticity to the overall game experience. Additionally, this game features an all-new point-and-click interface, 3D sound, and new puzzles.

DOONES CD-ROM CELEBS 25 YRS
Those who enjoy the Doonesbury comic strip all know that G.B. Trudeau just celebrated the 25th anniversary of his work. Now there’s going to be a book and CD-ROM series created to commemorate the strip. Doonesbury Flashbacks: 25 Years of Serious Fun will be the title of both the CD-ROM and book, which appears in more than 1,400 daily and Sunday newspapers. The CD-ROM will be created by Mindscape, Inc., the CD-ROM includes every Doonesbury strip ever published (that’s more than 10,000 of them), all of Trudeau’s magazine covers and more than 70 books.

TERRIER TO STAR IN INTERACTIVE TITLES
An agreement between Palladium Interactive and Big Feats! Entertainment will result in a number of interactive titles’ll that star Whishbone(SM), a Jack Russell terrier who has a most active imagination. The latter company is the creator of the Wishbone PBS TV show and began airing about a month ago across 300 PBS stations. Each show’s purpose is to bring children joyfully to the world of classic literature, and Wishbone encounters modern-day storylines that parallel timeless and universal topics that are prevalent throughout good books. Folk like The Three Musketeers, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde and others are all introduced to the children. Expect two separate CD-ROM titles to be released by spring of 1996 and Christmas of 1996, all targeted at the 6 to 11 year old and their families.

POP ROCKET’S DEBUT
Requiring more than two years to develop, Total Distortion has finally been released by Pop Rocket. There are a couple of interesting methods of distribution for the product. They include a direct sales program wherein $15 will get you the product from the company. Or, you can go after a $5 rebate coupon through an Electronic Arts’ WWW contest. This title makes you a music video director where you must travel to a distortion dimension to obtain new and fresh material for your work. There are puzzles to solve, mazes to navigate and thugs to defeat to locate the new rocks stars that’ll make your new videos successful. The goal of the game is to become rich and successful-or either one alone will also do.

MIL SIM COMPILATION OFFERING
QQP, a subsidiary of American Laser Games, has released the War at Sea Collection for PC CD-ROM. This is a compilation disc of three-previously released QQP titles that focus on sea-based strats. The collection contains The Lost Admiral, The Grandest Fleet and WWII Battles of the South Pacific. The latter is a real-time war game with modem play.

TITLE ACQUISITION
Time Warner Interactive and Writing Wizardry Inc. (dba Software Sorcery) have sold to Sierra On-Line Inc. the rights to two games: Conqueror A.D. 1086 and the sub sim, Fast Attack. Both were to be published by Time Warner Inc. and are additional indications of changes within the Time Warner company family. Conqueror A.D. 1086 should be published right away, with Fast Attack debuting within the next six months or so. The former is a medieval adventure with 3D characters played from a first person perspective. The strategy game also offers action/arcade sequences and requires you to battle against rival knights and even a powerful dragon. Fast Attack is a nuclear sub sim that employs unclassified modern naval weaponry and tactic sources for an authentic environment in 70 worldwide missions.

STARPRESS ACQUISITIONS
StarPress has managed to glom onto some of the assets and titles from Sony’s CD-ROM multimedia division, including purchasing ownership of some of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s CD-ROM software development tools.

STAKE SUBTRACTION
Formerly, Time Warner Inc. possessed a nearly 25 percent stake in Atari Corporation. The company has now lowered that percentage to around 13 percent, or 8.71 million common shares.

GETTING EVEN COOLER
If you’ll recall, one of Interplay’s most creative and best-selling hits during the last year was Cyberia, which sold over a million copies. What you might not know is that Xatrix Entertainment developed that game for Interplay and they have now gone out on their own to make their own name for themselves. So what better way to do that than to produce Cyberia2, which should release in January of next year. Cyberia2, which will be distributed by Virgin Interactive, offers cinematic worlds, a new gameplay engine, and tremendous puzzles to drive gamers to exposition of all sorts. You become Zak Kingston, once again, master hacker, who has spent three years in cryonic hibernation. Rebels who intend to bring down the Free World Alliance have revived you and want to hire your services for some covert missions. The game possesses new “Hot Zones” that creates live action nearly everywhere on your screen. Plus, Xatrix has now acquired the services of Sam Palahnuk, who was the creator of 22 interactive products for Sega, Disney, GameTek and Sanctuary Woods, resulting in title sales of over two million units. Not a bad debut for Xatrix, eh?